Former US Secretary of State stresses importance of providing Ukraine with defensive weapons

Saturday, June 17, 2017 12:00:00 PM

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko met with a delegation from the National Democratic Institute of the United States (NDI), which was headed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the organization, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, as reported by the Press Service of the President of Ukraine.

"Madeleine Albright stressed the importance of providing Ukraine with defensive weapons in order to ensure the lawful right of a sovereign state to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter," the message said.

During the meeting, Poroshenko expressed his gratitude to the American side for consistently supporting Ukraine in "countering Russian aggression" and implementing democratic reforms in the country.

The President of Ukraine also informed the NDI representatives about further aggravation of the situation in the Donbas.

"In this regard, the need was noted to maintain sanctions against Russia until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented and Ukraine's territorial integrity, including the Crimea, is restored," the Press Service of the Ukrainian president said.

Madeleine Korbel Albright is an American diplomat, and was born on May 15, 1937 in Prague. From 1997 to 2001, she held the post of US Secretary of State; she now heads the Board of Directors of the National Democratic Institute of the United States (NDI).